Reflections on God … Man … Life
As if to prove my point in the previous posting, a couple of polls taken after the first presidential debate on Friday night gave Obama the “victory.” That, by itself, is not the story. Although when I watched the debate, my opinion was the opposite of those polls, I was judging success by the following factors: Which candidate was closer to Biblical principles in his answers? Which candidate was more honest in his answers in comparison to what he has… Read more »
Mankind is sinful. That’s the Biblical message. Consequently, we should not be surprised that voters will make foolish choices at times. Yet what do we mean when we say that mankind is sinful, and how does that connect with voting? Let me try to explain how I see sin. First, all sin is foolish. What could be more foolish than to stiffarm the God who created you and who wants to free you from a life (both now and in… Read more »
I saved this political cartoon about a decade ago because I thought it was an insightful commentary on the problem with voters. Let me be quick to say that I favor a representative system of government; people need to have a say in government because the government itself needs a check and balance. To trust a small group of individuals (whether in a monarchy, aristocracy, oligarchy, or dictatorship) is foolish. The tendency is to see oneself as more important than… Read more »
George H. W. Bush inherited a robust economy from Reagan. He even pledged, “Read my lips: no new taxes.” If only he had stayed faithful to that pledge. He did reject new taxes from a Democratic Congress a number of times, but as part of a budget deal in 1990, he allowed some taxes to be raised. That angered his conservative base, a base he would need in the next election. In early 1991, after the success of the Gulf War, Bush’s approval rating was… Read more »
The 1970s were dark years in many ways, and one cannot blame all the economic woes on one individual. OPEC kept increasing oil prices, which was a major headache for everyone. Yet presidential leadership can make a difference. That leadership was not forthcoming, however. At the beginning of the decade, we had Watergate and the Nixon resignation, followed by Ford, who failed to inspire. Both were Republicans; the economy was not strong. When Jimmy Carter took office in 1977, it… Read more »
FDR changed the way Americans thought about the role of government by using government as the supplier of needs in a time of crisis. Lyndon Johnson, in the 1960s, took that concept a step further; one might refer to his “Great Society” program as the New Deal on steroids. The philosophy of the Great Society was a shift from helping in a time of need to helping all the time. Whereas the New Deal was conceived as a temporary measure… Read more »
In the midst of the current economic jitters, I have heard more than one commentator assert that when economic times are rough, voters tend to gravitate toward the Democrats. Why on earth would that be? I want to provide a little history lesson on how Democrats have handled the economy over the past 70-plus years. Let’s start with Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Great Depression hit America in 1929. Voters turned out the Republicans and looked to FDR to reverse the… Read more »